#2419 - John Lisle
Historian John Lisle discusses the history of CIA mind control research, focusing on MKUltra, its OSS roots, and figures like Sidney Gottlieb, George White, and psychiatrist Ewen Cameron. He explains how the program was structured, the drugs and psychological techniques that were tested, the disastrous impacts on unwitting subjects, and the near-total lack of oversight. The conversation expands into government secrecy, real versus fabricated conspiracies, cognitive dissonance, cult dynamics, social media disinformation, and how human psychology shapes both science and belief in conspiracies.
Julia Child, la Grandes Gourmande
Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the life, career, and cultural impact of Julia Child, tracing her path from privileged Pasadena upbringing and World War II OSS service to becoming America's most influential cookbook author and television chef. They discuss her late start in cooking, her revelatory first French meal, her training at Le Cordon Bleu, the creation of 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking', and the launch of 'The French Chef' on PBS. The episode also covers why she was so beloved-her humor, mistakes on camera, feminist outlook on the kitchen, love of butter and wine, hallmark recipes, and her distinctive final resting place in an underwater cemetery.
#2411 - Gavin de Becker
Joe Rogan talks with criminologist Gavin about historical and modern government operations, pharmaceutical industry behavior, and public health policy. They discuss CIA covert programs like Project Gladio, patterns of propaganda and information control, and parallels between the AIDS crisis and the COVID-19 response. Gavin argues that citizens must adopt deep skepticism toward government, media, and pharmaceutical narratives, using examples from vaccine policy, Agent Orange, baby powder litigation, population control documents, and the war in Ukraine.
#2408 - Bret Weinstein
Joe Rogan describes an unusually vivid dream involving humanoid beings and uses it as a springboard to ask Brett about what dreams are and how lucid dreaming works. They then move into an extended discussion of artificial intelligence as an emergent, biology-like phenomenon, its potential to manipulate humans, and its interaction with social media, sexuality, education, and governance. The conversation also covers intelligence agencies, systemic corruption, pedophilia and blackmail, COVID-19 policy and vaccines, pharmaceutical incentives, wealth, socialism versus markets, academic resistance to paradigm shifts, and whether there is a viable path from the current crisis to a healthier societal structure.
#2392 - John Kiriakou
Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou describes his career in U.S. intelligence, including counterterrorism work, the capture of Abu Zubaydah, and his refusal to participate in the CIA's post‑9/11 torture program. He explains how he went public about torture, the subsequent federal investigation and prosecution that led to his imprisonment, and his experiences inside federal prison and reentering society. The conversation broadens into critiques of the "deep state," FBI entrapment tactics, propaganda laws, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the influence of Israel and AIPAC on American politics.
Selects: How Area 51 Works
Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant trace the history of Area 51 from its origins as part of a World War II bombing range and Nevada nuclear test site to its role in developing secret U.S. spy and stealth aircraft. They explain how black projects, the U-2 and SR-71 programs, and extreme security practices shaped the base, and how Bob Lazar's 1989 claims helped fuse Area 51 with UFO and alien lore. The hosts also discuss Roswell myths, more outlandish conspiracy theories, modern operations at the base, and a 1990s worker-health lawsuit that forced the U.S. government to finally acknowledge the facility's existence.
SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: SYSK Live: The DB Cooper Heist
In this live episode recorded in Seattle, hosts Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant recount the 1971 hijacking of Northwest Orient Flight 305 by a man calling himself Dan Cooper, better known as D.B. Cooper. They walk through the hijacking step by step, the FBI and law enforcement response, the subsequent manhunt and investigation, later discoveries like the Tina Bar cash find, and the many suspects proposed over the years. The episode also explores how the case shaped aviation security, spawned a subculture of "Cooperists," and grew into a lasting American true-crime legend that remains officially unsolved.
#481 - Norman Ohler: Hitler, Nazis, Drugs, WW2, Blitzkrieg, LSD, MKUltra & CIA
Lex Fridman talks with writer Norman Ohler about his research on drug use in Nazi Germany, including methamphetamine in the Wehrmacht and opioids in Hitler's inner circle. They discuss how overlooked pharmaceutical and illicit substances shaped military campaigns like the Blitzkrieg, Hitler's declining leadership, and postwar CIA programs such as MKUltra. The conversation also explores German resistance within the Third Reich, Berlin's postwar drug and club culture, and Ohler's broader project on the role of psychoactive drugs across human history.